Keeping up with the GOP Straw Poll (Live Updates from Fort Worth Straw Poll)

Star-Telegram ^ | 08/31/2007 | Various

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Grasping at straws?

Speeches, protests and presidential politics, Texas style.

That's what will be going on in and around the Fort Worth Convention Center on Friday and Saturday, during the Republican Party of Texas' first-ever GOP Straw Poll. Who is coming? What are they saying? What are they doing?

Many presidential hopefuls -- Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, to name a few -- have sent their regrets. But several lesser-known candidates -- U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Surfside, U.S. Rep. Duncan Hunter of California, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, Ray McKinney and Hugh Cort -- are still expected to show.

Star-Telegram staff writers Anna M. Tinsley and Aman Batheja will be on the ground, giving you an inside look and posting updates throughout the two-day event.

Friday, 10:45 a.m.: Who is this man?

Supporters of GOP presidential hopeful Ron Paul are a visible presence outside the Fort Worth Convention Center this morning. You’ll know 'em when you see them. They are wearing orange T-shirts, with Paul’s likeness on it, with the saying “Who is this man? And why is he going to win the Texas Straw Poll.”

-- Anna M. Tinsley

Friday, 10:35 a.m.: Just breathe

Anyone who gets a little stressed at the first day of the GOP Straw Poll can head over to candidate Ray McKinney’s booth. The Georgia mechanical engineer is offering free blood pressure checks.

“Why not?” he said Friday morning. His mom, Marian McKinney of Florida, is actually the one to administer the checks. She said she’s been able to help people in the past, including a man who had heart problems but didn’t know it until she did the check.

Her heart, meanwhile, is swelling with pride for her son’s presidential campaign: “It’s great,” she said with a smile. “I raised him if you don’t like something, try to change it. If you don’t want to get in the race, then shut up.”

-- Anna M. Tinsley<

Friday, 10:30 a.m.: No hope for Fred Heads

Sorry to dash the hopes of local Fred Heads, but actor Fred Thompson will almost certainly NOT be at the Texas Straw Poll.

Some supporters had held out that the former Tennessee Senator might make a surprise visit to Cowtown and officially throw his hat in the ring, even though he wasn’t expected. But with yesterday’s news that his official announcment will be Sept. 6 , a Thompson cameo looks even more unlikely.

Candidate or not, his name will be still on the Straw Poll ballot and he’s planning a sweep through Texas later next month.

-- Aman Batheja

Friday, 8:45 a.m.: Dems dish up chips, salsa and insults at Blue Mesa

Democrats started warming up with their put-downs of the Republican event at a Thursday night gathering. At the Blue Mesa Grill, local elected officials and activists were having fun mocking the Straw Poll, which they all believed will be an embarrassment to the GOP. The Democratic fund-raiser at the restaurant attracted about 30 people, with the running joke being that that might be more people than attending Saturday's Straw Poll.

Yet there wasn't much enthusiasm for the anti-war protest planned for Saturday, either. Almost none of the Democrats there were planning to attend the non-partisan event and some were skeptical that it would attract the thousands Texans For Peace have been promising.

Pretty soon, people switched targets and started cracking jokes about Idaho Sen. Larry Craig. None were suitable for printing on a family web site.

--Aman Batheja

Friday, 6 a.m.: Coffee with the Paulites

Ron Paul supporters got an early start, meeting over coffee at 6 a.m. But of the 20 Paulites in a downtown cafe, not one was a voting delegate.

"Hey, how many Mitt Romney supporters do you see out at this time of the morning?" asked Clayton Slade, 24, an Allen software professional. "Our goal is to show delegates that Ron Paul has support."

Albert Meyer, 56, a Plano accountant, made an offhand comment explaining why no poll voters came for coffee: "We're the disaffected, the disillusioned ... That's why we're not delegates."

-- Bud Kennedy

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Let's see how the poll turns out.

[Ultra Sonic 007]

Ron Paul and Duncan Hunter ping

[George W. Bush]

	Ron's weekly message [5 minutes audio, every Monday] • Podcast • Weekly archive • Toll-free 888-322-1414 •
	Free Republic Ron Paul Ping List: Join/Leave

Should be interesting.

[Turbopilot]

I have an advance guess: If Ron Paul wins, the poll will be meaningless and stupid and no one should pay attention to it and except for Iowa straw polls don’t count and the only thing that counts is the primaries and the national polls, etc, etc.

If Ron Paul does not win, it will be proof that he is a fringe candidate and he doesn’t have grassroots support and he has no chance of ever winning the nomination and rising support in national polls is meaningless and only these straw polls should count, etc, etc.

[wastedyears]

***The Democratic fund-raiser at the restaurant attracted about 30 people, with the running joke being that that might be more people than attending Saturday’s Straw Poll.***

I think different.

[wastedyears]

You forgot that if he loses, the poll is fixed.

[GulfBreeze]

respect Ron on specific positions but find his and his staffs comments so reprehensible on other issues that I try to avoid any association with him.

A Few Issues I have With Ron Paul (In no particular order)

1 We were right to fight World War 2

2 Marijuana is a dangerous enough substance to be under regulation by the FDA

3 Marriage between one man and one woman is an important enough institution to be protected at the federal level

4 The federal government is authorized in the constitution to protect life and should prohibit the killing without due process of the people of any state whether born yet or not.

5 The forming of alliances is authorized in the constitution and though wisdom of Washington and others says it should be avoided in many instances, alliances are necessary and beneficial in many other instances.

6 Iraq repeatedly threatened the US. That alone made them a valid target.

7 The constitution authorizes the congress to declare war. They therefore can set any kind of war trigger they find necessary for the preservation of this nation. (Including authorizing the president to declare war).

8 9-11 was not caused by our foreign policy. 9-11 was caused by enemies of the US and we should pursue the destruction of any associated with it or even the ideology that supports it anywhere in the world.

9 We are not hated in certain nations of the world “because we are killing so many of their people”. When weare hated it is because of brainwashing dictatorships that foment said hatred to further their own socialist agendas.

10 Ron Paul as a congressman has no business going to foreign contries and apologizing to their leaders for ANY US actions.

11 The correct answer when asked on public television 2004 if you are going to vote for President Bush’s reelection should have been a simple “YES!”.

[Califreak]

Hopefully, Texans are brighter and more conservative than Iowans.

[George W. Bush]

I'm not out to bash Duncan but his own campaign manager isn't very hopeful either.

A presidential hopeful spoke to the campus community about border security Wednesday despite a lack of confidence from his campaign.

Roy Tyler, campaign director of communication for Duncan Hunter, said the chances of Hunter winning the candidacy were about as good "as pushing a string through a maze."

Unless that was wildly quoted out of context, it can't be encouraging. I've been wondering if Duncan is still trying to salvage federal matching funds so he can transfer those to his son's campaign. Or use them to mount a challenge for a Senate seat in Kali.

Of course, Duncan does have a chance at picking up some support. You can never predict what the Texas Republican party will do. Ron Paul is no shoo-in there because he may agree with them on virtually every single issue but most of them aren't going to like his position on Iraq. So Duncan might do well. Or the absent candidates might walk away with it.

Campaign: Little hope for White House run

[George W. Bush]

10 Ron Paul as a congressman has no business going to foreign contries and apologizing to their leaders for ANY US actions.

When did he do that, either here or on foreign soil? That's Pelosi's bunch. Not Ron Paul.

[AndreaThorn]

I do not think he will win, because the delegates are new age (read:neoconservative) Republicans. A traditional paleoconservative like Paul won’t garner their support, even though he should have the advantage of being a Texas Congressman.

[traviskicks]

hey, get aload a this, another airplane video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2JIt88ieu8

LOL!

[Ultra Sonic 007]

New update.

Friday, 11:15 a.m.: Republican swag — and swagger
The Straw Poll was low on actual Republicans on Friday morning, but there was plenty of Republican swag. Visitors can pick up stickers, buttons and T-shirts with messages praising the GOP as “God’s Official Party” or slamming Democrats, especially Hillary.

There’s even some historical artifacts: pro-Tom Delay and anti-John Kerry buttons on a table marked clearance.

Some slogans that caught our eye:
“The Road To Hell...Is Paved With Liberals”
“KFC Hillary Special: 2 Fat Thighs, 2 Small Breasts...Left Wing”
“Republican Women...Like Men”
“Vote Democrat! Illegal Immigrants Count On You”
“Save the Seals, Club Liberals”
— Aman Betheja

I like the second one. :3

[deport]

The democrats are having an ePrimary Poll beginning today and ending Sept. 7 as a counter to the GOP Straw poll. It will be interesting to see the results of it as compared to the GOP event.

http://www.txdemocrats.org/page/s/eprimarypoll

[GulfBreeze]

I can tell you when I represented some of the same constituents as Dr. Paul I had a phone call from a lady almost in tears.

Penny (Young), Dr. Paul’s number one staff person, had told her that that was EXACTLY what Ron Paul had done. This was 2 to 3 years ago.

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

I can tell you when I represented some of the same constituents as Dr. Paul I had a phone call from a lady almost in tears.

Penny (Young), Dr. Paul’s number one staff person, had told her that that was EXACTLY what Ron Paul had done. This was 2 to 3 years ago.

Hearsay.

Start with some specifics, and verify.

What country? When? To whom did Paul issue this "apology"? Congressional Junket? Private trip?

Long on accusation, short on facts. Not buying any of this. If it was true, the Paulitrolls would have long ago picked up on it.

[GulfBreeze]

I couldn’t care less what you believe or not. This was an avid hard working political volunteer who had been quite excited that Dr. Paul was our redistricted into our area.

Penny Young is as high up as you can go in Paul’s organization withou BEING Dr. Paul.

This volunteer called the office looking for information or help, I can’t remember which, and during the long course ofthe phone call was pretty well flummoxed by what she was told by Penny on many many issues.

Every issue I listed was one of Ron Paul’s (only from the opposite point of view).

[George W. Bush]

This volunteer called the office looking for information or help, I can’t remember which, and during the long course ofthe phone call was pretty well flummoxed by what she was told by Penny on many many issues.

You're reporting some third-hand (fourth-hand) info as though it's gospel truth.

I very much doubt that Penny Young said any such thing. She's very professional.

So you're flinging accusations against Ron Paul based on what some old lady whose exact comments you don't recall and whose name you don't recall told you on the phone that Penny Young told her that Ron Paul said but you don't know what he said, who he said it to, or where he said it? Is that about it?

[Calvinist_Dark_Lord]

I couldn’t care less what you believe or not. This was an avid hard working political volunteer who had been quite excited that Dr. Paul was our redistricted into our area.

TRANSLATION:
You can't substantiate any of your claims.

Penny Young is as high up as you can go in Paul’s organization withou BEING Dr. Paul.

Funny that i can't seem to find the "Penny Young" that you claim was (is?) ...as high up as you can go in Paul’s organization withou BEING Dr. Paul.

A quick Google search reveals that there is a Penny Langford-Freeman who either is or was (as of April 4 of this year) District Director for Congressman Ron Paul.It appears that you have bad information.

It also appears that in respect to your claims that you have no specifics at all.

Try again Troll.

[George W. Bush]

Congressional Junket?

I don't think RP has ever gone on a single junket. You know how strict he is about spending and waste by Congress, pay raises, perks, etc.